Turbine.



W. G. ROSS.

A TURBINB. APPLICATION FILED .APB..9, 1910.

990,781 Patented 11111.25, 1911.

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W. G. ROSS.

. 1 TURBINE. l

L PIIOATION FILED APB. 9 1910 25, I

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W. G. RUSS.

Patented A pI'. 25, 1911.

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WILLIAM G. ROSS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

TURBINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 25, 1911.

Application filed April 9, 1910. Serial No. 554,487.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM G. Ross, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and a resident of Chicago, county o-f Cook, State of Illinois,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Turbines, of whichthe following is a specification.

The main objects of the present invention are to provide an improvedtype of rotary engine constructed to utilize in an efiicient manner, theexpansive or impulsive energy of a fluid: to provide a rotary enginehaving a rotor of special construction, and with tubular buckets passingtherethrough from one side to the other; to provide a casing for thisrotor and having chambers which serve as conduits to conduct the drivingfluid to a plurality of buckets in succession; to provide improvedheating means for steam driven turbines whereby the steam, while beingconducted from one bucket to another can be heated, thereby reducingcondensation in the passages; and to provide other improvements in theconstruction whereby the engine will be efficient and reliable inoperation, inexpensive tomaintain and of low initial cost.

A specific construction embodying this invention is shown in theaccompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a side elevation with part of the steam jacket broken awayto show an end plate of the casing with the steam chests mountedthereon. A portion of that end plate is broken away to show the rotor.Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation, the section being taken along the lineA-A of Fig. l, but following an irregular course in such a. way that thetwo tubular portions of each bucket appear in the figure as being indirect alinement, although in the actual structure they meet at anobtuse angle. Fig. 3 is a sectional development of a part of the rotorand its casing, and shows the relation of the steam chests whereby steamprojected from a nozzle into one bucket can be conducted around toanother bucket, and so on in succession through a series of buckets, thesection corresponding to the surface of a cylinder, as for instance,that represented by the line B-B of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a detail of theinlet nozzle. Fig. 5 is a section of the same on the line C-C of Fig. 4.Fig. 6 shows a modification wherein the steam which is delivered througha bucket near the periphery of the rotor is conducted through a steamchest to a bucket located nearer the shaft, and so on in successionuntil it finally leaves the rotor from one of the buckets nearest theaxis. Fig. 7 is a partial irregular section, having the generaldirection of the line D-D of Fig. 6, the section being taken in such away that the two converging halves of each bucket appear in the gure asa straight tube. Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic representation of the meansfor conducting away water of condensation from the steam chests inturbines of large sizes.

In the construction illustrated in Figs. l to 5, inclusive, the rotaryengine comprises a shaft l, carrying a rotor. This shaft is journaled inend plates 2 and 3, which constitute the side walls of the casing withinwhich the rotor turns. The plates are securely fastened to a base 4, asby means of bolts 5, and can be moved toward each other a short distanceby means of an adjusting screw 6. An annular band 7 may be secured tothe outer edges of the plates to form the outer wall of the casing orchamber, within which the rotor turns. Bolted to the outer face of eachend plate is an annular steam jacket S, through which superheated steammay be circulated to maintain a high temperature. Within each steamjacket and bolted to the outer face of the end plate are a plurality o-fcasings or steam chests 9, each having an inlet port and an outlet port,and each serving as a. conduit through which steam delivered or releasedfrom one bucket can be expanded and heated and then conducted forward toanother bucket. The chests 9 are preferably larger in transverse sectionthan the nozzle area of the passages through the buckets so as to reducethe frictional resistance to the flow of steam through the chests andprovide pockets for collecting condensation in the larger sizes ofengines. In such larger sizes of engines, each of the steam chests mayhave a trapped outlet pipe connected to its lower part for conductingaway the water resulting from condensation of the steam. In order toavoid confusion of the drawings, these pipes are shown only in Fig. 8,and are there shown diagrammatically.

The rotor comprises a pair of disks 10 and 11, each having a hub keyedto shaft l. Mounted on the inner or adjacent faces of these hubs are apair of annular plates 12 and 13. Bolts 14; pass through the hubs, and

through these annular plates to hold the several elements in rigidrelation. At the outer edges of the disks 10 and 11, a plurality ofbolts 15 are arrangecheach having its outer end screw-threaded in a diskand its inner end carrying a head which is seated in a recess in theopposite annular plate. Each bolt 15 has a wrench hold near its middleso that it can be tightened to draw the outer edge of the annular platetoward the adjacent edge of the disk.

The buckets carried by the rotor are of unusual construction, and eachcomprises two tubular portions 17 and 18, converging as shown in Fig. 3,and having their junction point between the annular plates 12 and 13.Each bucket may therefore be described as tubular in shape, and asextending through the rotor from one side to the other. It will be seenthat each half of a tubular bucket can be put in place in a rotor disk,before the two halves of the rotor are assembled on the shaft. each tubeto its plates by inserting the tube through holes in the plates and theneX- panding it by Ya rolling operation well understood in boiler making.This expansion brings the tube into intimate and tight contact with theplates. After each half of a rotor has been assembled, it can bemachined to final size, and then bolted to its companion half, as hereshown. The outer faces are then machined to insure true balance. Eachbucket can be advantageously cut away at each end, as shown at 19 inFig. 3, to leave a short tapering vent through which steam may pass,even after the bucket has moved out of direct alinement with the portorchannel through which the steam is passing to or from the bucket. Thisalso insures a continuous flow of the steam throughout the whole series,andinsuring that all condensation will be blown out at the exhaust pipe.In large sizes, a pipe 9A (Fig. 8) is trapped in the bottom of eachsteam chest 9, and these are brought together in a ymain pipe 9B orheader 9D which connects with a steam trap 9C.

In the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the buckets are grouped in fourseries: 20, 21, 22, and 23, arranged concentrically, as shown in Fig. 1.Each series may have its own inlet nozzle, and its own outlet, and mayhave as many expansion chambers or conduits as the particular steampressure and speed of rotation may seem to justify.

Each nozzle or inlet may be of the type illustrated in Figs. 1V and 5,wherein is shown a feed pipe 24 screw-threaded into a nozzle comprisingtwo parts or halves 25 and 26 seated in the end plate of the enginecasing and hollowed out at their adjacent sides to form a discharge port27 of suitable shape. The ease with which the nozzle can be removed anddismembered for cleaning or grinding is of importance. The nozzle ispreferably set at an oblique angle to thc adjacent end of a tubularbucket, and should lie. approximately in the plane through which thebucket is moving during the period it receives steam directly from thenozzle. The steam thus received by a bucket is discharged from theopposite end of the bucket.

lVith' a rotor having four sets or series of buckets, I prefer to usefour inlet nozzles arranged in pairs, two on either side of the engine`each two being` at diametrically opposite points. Thus, if nozzle 2l bearranged to discharge into series 22, then nozzle 28. which suppliest-he outer row of buckets 20 may be on the same side of the engine asnozzle 24, and located diametrically opposite that nozzle. The other twonozzles 24T' and 28 can be arranged in similar manner on the other sideof the engine. By thus distributing the points at which the steam Iprefer to secure enters the rotor, the end thrust of the rotor isequalized. and the strains induced by the driving fluid are adequatelydistributed. In the form shown, the inlet nozzles are of the expansionor De Laval type. The succeeding nozzles 27A in each series are taperedso as to converge toward their outer ends. and the nozzles aresuccessively increased in size so as to take care of a certain amount ofexpansion of the steam which occurs during its passage through a seriesof buckets, assuming that the inlet nozzles are such as to effect only7a partial expansion of the steam.

It will be understood that for each annular series of buckets there maybc a series of inlet nozzles, but for the sake of simplicity of thedrawings, only one of such inlet nozzles is shown for each series ofbuckets. The number of buckets through which the steam can besuccessively passed will of course depend upon the initial pressureI ofthe steam. It will also be noted that when an inlet nozzle registerswith a bucket passage, all of the other nozzles of the same series willsimultaneously register with bucket passages, thus providing for thefree flow of steam throughout the series. The vents 19 insure that eachnozzle will deliver steam or fluid to a bucket until the succeedingbucket has come into position for receiving the steam, and there willthus be a continuous flow of steam.

In the modification shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the rotor is the same asthat described above, and the end plates 29 and 80 are similar to thoseof Fig. 2, and carry respectively` the annular steam jackets 31 and 32,but the steam chests or conduits mounted within these steam jackets havea di'erent arrangement or grouping from that heretofore described.

Referring to Fig. 6, it will be seen that lla the steam chests 38, 34and 35 lead the steam progressively from one series of buckets to aseries nearer the axis, and so carry the steam from buckets moving athigh velocity toward buckets moving at less velocity, until at the finalstage, the steam is discharged through an outlet port 36, arranged inalinement with the innermost train of buckets s4. and a5.

In both of the forms shown in the drawings, the rotor is provided in itsouter faces with annular grooves 38 and 38A which tend to reduce leakagein a manner Isimilar to that in which the grooves in pistons tend toreduce leakage.

The operation of either of the modifications illustrated may bedescribed briefly as follows: Steam at high pressure and temperatureentering the casing by way of a nozzle. say nozzle 24 of Fig. 3, passesinto the adjacent end of a tubular bucket and gives up a portion of itskinetic energy, moving the bucket forward,and thereby turningthe rotorand its shaft l. As the bucket moves forward, the notch or vent 19 atthe trailing corner of the bucket allo-ws so-me steam to enter thebucket until after the succeeding bucket begins to take steam from thenozzle. The nozzle is never entirely shut off by movement of the rotorpast its discharge opening.

The steam discharged into the tubular bucket has its direction ofmovement changed by the angular or curved shape of the bucket, and isalso somewhat expanded and cooled within the bucket. It is ultimatelyforced from the bucket through a port leading to steam chests 9 locatedwithin the steam jacket 8. Superheated steam is constantly circulatedthrough this steam jacket, and delivers heat through the wall of thesteam chest to the steam within, thereby increasing the temperature andminimizing` condensation in the steam chest, and expanding the steamsomewhat so that it can be re-delivered to the rotor through a bucket inadvance of that wherein the steam was first received. From this secondbucket, it can pass through into another steam chest for anotherre-heating and re-delivery to another bucket, and so on throughouttheseries to the exhaust chamber. The number of steam chests which can beused with profit in this way depends somewhat on the initial pressure ofthe steam and on the temperature of the heating medium in the steamjackets, but in general, the aim is to use such a number that when thesteam ultimately passes from the engine by way of the outlet port 37 ofFig. 3, the greater part of its available energy will have been takenfrom it.

In the modification shown in Figs. l and 2, the conveyance of steam isfrom one bucket to another of the same series, but in the modificationshown in Fig. 6, the steam is conveyed each time to a bucket nearer theaxis of the rotor, and therefore moving at slower speed, and bettersuited for contact with steam which has lost part of its initial energy.

The rotor construction herein shown is exceedingly inexpensive ascompared with those of the usual turbine rotors, and this constructionhas the further advantage over usual constructions of admitting offacing the rotor by machining it after it is assembled so as to make itrun true, whereas in ordinary constructions in which bucket bladesI areused, it is necessary to true up the edges of the blades by hand. Thisfeature admits of providing a minimum clearance space between theadjacent faces of the rotor and the surrounding casing.

Although only certain specific embodiments o-f this invention are hereinshown, it will be understood that numerous details of the constructionsshown may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit ofthis invention, as defined by the following claims.

I claim l. In a rotary engine, a rotor comprising a pair of co-axialdisks, and a series of tubes extending between and through said disks toform buckets, said disks having the faces thereof at the ends of saidtubes formed to provide elongated ports for the buckets.

2. In a rotary engine, a rotor comprising co-axial disks, and bentbucket tubes of substantially circular transverse shape carried by saiddisks.

3. In a rotary engine, a rotor comprising co-axial disks, and tubularbuckets extending therebetween and arranged in concentric circles.

4. In a rotary engine, a rotor comprising plates spaced apart, andbuckets carried thereby, each bucket consisting of two straight tubularportions converging toward each other at their place of intersection.

5. In a rotary engine, a rotor comprising a pair of disks, a plate foreach disk, a tubular member extending from each disk to thecorresponding plate, and means for holding said plates together with theends of the tubular members in register with each other to form buckets.

6. In a rotary engine, a rotor comprising a pair of disks, a pair ofplates between said disks, and tubular members extending between andthrough each of said plates and the corresponding disk and securedtherein by expansion of the ends of said buckets, the meeting ends ofsaid tubular members registering with each other.

7. In a rotary engine, a rotor comprising a pair of disks spaced apartin axial alinement, a pair of plates between said disks, and an annularseries of tubular members iso extending between each disk and thecorresponding plate, said plates being secured together With the tubularmembers in register with each other, said tubular members meeting at anangle to form bent buckets.

8. In a rotary engine, a rotor comprising a pair of disks spaced apartin axial alinement and mounted to rotate on their common axis, and anannular' series of bent cylindrical tubular buckets extending betweenpassing through said disks and having itsends expanded .into tightcontact with said disks, the ends of said bucket and the faces of saiddisks being formed to provideelongated ports.

12. In a rotary engine, the combination of a shaft, a pair of diskshaving hubs secured to said shaft, an annular plate mountled on eachhub, means for holding said disks and plates .in rigid relation, and apair of tubes, each having its outer end expanded to form aV tightconnection with a disk, and each having its inner Yend expanded toengage an annular plate, said tubes being set at an angle to one anotherto form a tubular bucket extending through said disks.

13. In a rotary engine, the combination of a casing, a steam chest oneither side of said casing, chambers mounted on said casing Within saidsteam chests and heated by steam therein, a rotor Within said casing.said rotor having tubular buckets arranged to discharge a driving fluidinto one of said chambers and subsequently to receive driving fluid fromanother of said chambers, and a nozzle for directing the driving Huidinto said buckets in succession.

14. In a rotary engine, the combination of a rotor having tubularbuckets arranged in concentric circles therethrough, a casing inclosingsaid rotor, a plurality of nozzles arranged at one side of said casingto project a driving fluid into said buckets, nozzles entering saidcasing from the opposite side, a plurality of chambers arranged to serveas conduits through Which the driving fluid escaping from one bucket maybe conducted to another bucket for passage therethrough, and means forreheating the fluid during its passage through said chambers.

15. In a rotary engine, the combination of a casing, a succession ofchambers mounted on said casing, means for heating said chambersexternally, a rotor Within said casing and having buckets, and means forprojecting a driving fluid through a bucket into one of said heatedchambers, said heated chambers being arranged to conduct said fluid toother buckets in succession.

Signed at Chicago this 26th day of March 1910.

WM. G. ROSS.

lVitnesses:

EUGENE A. RUMMLER, EDWIN PHELPS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

